[CONTEST] Birthed from Shadow

  It was a foggy day. The clouds had won the battle with the sun, and lay, overcast, triumphant, in the sky. They wept however, despite the well-fought war, blooming flowers of rain on the rocky, unstable road that lay ahead of us. I pulled the windbreaker around myself tighter, shivering, the cold of the light shower seeping into my bones.

  "Way to go weather, dropping a load on us when we least needed it." Lucas muttered indignantly, stomping resentfully towards our destination.

  "I think the rain makes it looks cool!" My littler Sister, Lacie, gawked at the scene that lay ahead, a spring in her step despite the wet weather.

  I sighed, trudging wearily behind them, following them up the gravel road.

  Our class was assigned to various projects, with each having a different theme to dictate what type and kind of photos we had to take. Each had to be at completely different places, and each had to illustrate a completely different story. The photography teacher probably still had a grudge towards me, thanks to the silly stunt I pulled at the start of the year, and gave us one of the hardest themes to go with, "loneliness".  

  To be lonely. The

  It sounds easy, but it wasn't the Everyday "sit at home alone with a Mug of coffee" loneliness, it was the other one. Desolate, remote, complete isolation. To be mentally and physically alone, that was the theme he wanted us to pull off. I didn't think we'd ever be able to do so- Lucas kicked a rock lying in the side of the road angrily. He accidentally kicked the trunk of the tree in the process, and gave a yelp of pain.

  But hey, at least he has faith that we'd do well.

  After painfully dragging ourselves through various places and taking copious amounts of pictures to chose from, we were finally at our last destination.

  An old, forgotten power station yawned ahead of us, just a bit farther up the path. Just like a great castle, it was protected by a thick, metal fence of a wall, then reinforced with barbed wire. The electric beams and towers stretched above them, cold metal and cement contrasting the red bricks of the station's paint-faded walls. I clutched my camera bag's straps harder, squinting through the light rain. The gloomy weather made it all the more foreboding.

  Something about this place seemed off putting, and it wasn't because of its dystopian-like features. Staring at it made me feel cold- colder than it was standing in the rain.

  "Come on Lillian! Let's get this over and done with, I'm so sick of jumping from place to place!" Lucas' annoyed groaning startled me out of my discomforting stupor. I shake my head quickly, forcing all my uneasy thoughts to the back of my head, before kicking him in the back of the knee.

  "Quit your complaining baby! We're almost done! Last place!" I tutted, wagging my finger at him. I then grabbed Lacie's hand, dragging her to the front of the fence before unhanding her to look for a way in.

  As I stooped around the barrier of the edge of the station, I let my thoughts continue to wander. Was this really alright? I mean, it wasn't too late to change locations. I knew this wasn't right, something was amiss, and I couldn't put my finger on it. But never-mind- it was too late. I felt my hand slip through a hole on the closely knitted wires, large enough for a person to slide through. I guess I can't change my mind now.

  I called out to Lucas and Lacie, already halfway through the opening in the double layered fence before I could second-guess myself. I watched as my other two peers wormed their way through the barrier, before starting to brisk walk to the doors of the power station.

  The heavy door of the abandoned building creaked loudly as I forced it open, dilapidated and unused. The air inside rushed out as a breeze, damp and old smelling. I wrinkled my nose at the musty smell, before heaving the door open with a final groan and stepping inside.

  It was empty. The roof was caving in, and the holes in them were plentiful. Yet little light came through, making the station look all the more shady, making me feel all the more apprehensive.

  "Ew, this place smells gross!" Lacie whined loudly, stomping her foot and pinching her nose shut. Lucas followed suit, gagging at the foreign smell.

  I ignored both of them, looking up as thunder rumbled in the near distance. We'll have to take out pictures and wrap up quickly, or we'll be caught in the approaching downpour.

  "We need to hurry up. It's cold and it's wet, and I don't want anyone getting sick." I put my rucksack on the floor, taking out my camera and tripod. I started setting them up at a dry spot, searching for the perfect background for out photoshoot. Lucas slicked back his wet hair, dropping his bag with a loud thump. He started taking out various masks and other props, anything we could get out hands on to convey "loneliness" in a picture.

  I watched from the corner of my eye as Lacie chased a small, yellow butterfly around the vicinity, thoroughly engrossed in her new activity.

  "Oi Lill, you gonna come help me with this or what?" Lucas called out to me, pulling out a large, heavy box from his back, lugging it towards the tripod.

  I breathed yet another hefty sigh, trudging towards him. Turning behind quickly, I warned my Sister, "Lacie, don't run too far okay?" She almost but ignored me, her gleeful squeals bounced off the walls of the station as she continued to chase the winged insect. If I kept an eye on her still, would all this have happened? Perhaps we'd all have been safe. Or would we? In the end though, the fault inevitably came down to me.

  I turned back to my work, setting up the equipment, not noticing Lacie run out of sight.

---

  Lacie giggled, excitement bubbling within her as she followed the lemon coloured butterfly down the flight of rickety stairs, away from her Sister and Lucas. Each platform bucked and heaved dangerously at each step of her Mary Janes, yet she kept her attention fully on her new friend. She watched as it fluttered towards the long, dark corridor, before being swallowed whole by the multiple shadows that lined it.

  She continued to follow her unmellow yellow friend through the passageway, swatting aimlessly at its wings, loosing the ability to pay attention to anything else. Lacie noticed as her small, claustrophobic corridor led to another flight of corroded stairs, before opening up into a room full of the absence of light.

  What she didn't notice was how the murkiness made the walls extend far beyond its reach. How the room seemed to get colder with every inhale she took. How the light atmosphere suddenly turned sombre and dark, suffocating and sorrowful.

  Another thing she noticed was the weeping.

  It was soft, but it echoed off the walls, making it more head-splitting with each hiccup of a breath. Lacie tilted her head in the direction of the noise source.

  It was a woman, a young woman. She was wearing a faded yellow jacket that stood out in the bleak, dim environment. She was wearing a pair of dirty jeans, that looked like they've been soaked in mud and grit. She was crouched in the corner, head in her hands, facing the wall.

  Lacie froze, hand stretching towards the woman. She wanted to help- she needed to help, it was in her nature. She felt sympathy towards this woman. Yet she knew something wasn't right. Why one earth was there someone in a place like this, so far down like her?
 
  "Hey... Are you alright?" She took a step closer towards the woman, extending her arm even more, taking small steps towards her petite form.

  The woman grew silent.

  Her clothes rustled as she stood up at an excruciatingly slow paced. The woman then braced a hand against the wall as she swayed, like a leaf in the gentle wind, before turning her direction towards Lacie. She couldn't tell if she screamed or not. Horror coursed through her veins, and panic over took her.

  All she could focus on was that large, blue eye, tinted green. Just like the ocean, just like the first leaf of spring.

---

  A scream shot through the halls of the abandoned facility, jolting me out of my concentration. I raised my head, taking my eyes away from the camera.

  "What the hell was that?" Lucas questioned, and I scrunched my eyebrows, listening  attentively for another noise.

  "Lacie-" I cut myself off, feeling a shiver go down my spine.

  Where was Lacie? I thought she was with me a while a go. Dread was dumped on my head like a cold bucket of water. I looked around desperately, guilt making me sick to my stomach. I should've watched her better, I should have payed more attention to her. Hell, I shouldn't have brought her to this roughed up hellhole in the first place. I felt my breathe pick up pace as my anxiety started to kick in.

  "Lillian, calm down. We're going to look for her. She's got to be somewhere in the building still. " Lucas put an arm on my shoulder, trying to comfort me. "I'll search the tunnel, you can search the catwalks, alright? We're going to find her, don't worry. " I nodded absentmindedly, already brisk walking in the direction of the tunnel's stairway.

  I leapt down the stairs, calling Lacie's name. I heard Lucas' shouts from above as I descended further. As I ran deeper, it got colder, the humid air turning icy cold. I stepped into a larger warehouse, and a chilly draft blew through me.

  I stared in dread at a figure laying, still as can be, on the dirty ground in front of me. They were earring the same blue dress, the same white cardigan, as Lacie. I ran up to her, despair weighing heavy in my gut.

  I felt my eyes well up with hot, angry tears. Anger at myself, and the people around me. Mostly myself though. I propped her up with my arm, my heart racing faster, still in shock. I felt my face scrunch up, and I rubbed my running eyes on my jacket sleeve. I desperately checked her wrist and neck for a pulse, but I found none. I scrutinised her chest like an examination paper, looking for the tiniest rise of her chest. It was all to no avail.

"Lacie! Lacie please wake up! I'm here, I'm sorry!" I screamed, frantically shaking her, willing her glazed-over eyes to blossom with life once again.

  I wished with all my heart, to see her smile at me, to tell me how funny my face was when I cried. Then to exclaim loudly that she was hungry, and how much she hated this stinking building, and how much she wanted to go home. I hoped, but deep down I knew that would never happen. I then noticed how fear was twisted and carved into her face, streaked with blood and tears. Blood? She was hurt?

  That could only mean she was attacked, she was murdered. But by what?
 
  I was just about to call for Lucas when I heard foot steps coming closer to me. I turned around, relieved that I wasn't the alone here any longer, seeing a figure stumble down the stairs.

  In a grimy yellow jacket, standing out among the dirty surrounding.

  In a pair of jeans, stained and old. Ripped and spotted.

  She was in front of me. I didn't hear her move. I didn't see her move either. I got a good look at her face, and I wish I could forget what I saw.

  Mucus and blood dribbled from her eye sockets, empty, red and swollen. Her face was shrunken, cheekbones sticking out like a corpse. Her hair was unkempt and sticking to her face. I watched as she opened her mouth, wider than I've seen any normal person do it. Inside was an eye, green and blue. The Eye was solely focused on me, so big, I could see my own warped reflection in its iris. The girl moved closer, grabbing my shoulders, falling on her. I choked on my scream.

  There was a disgusting squelching noise, and I watched, pinned by this Monster's iron-like grip, another eye split into four appendages. The inside was pink, rows and rows of teeth protruding from it. I watched, wide-eyed, as the rings of muscle in it contracted, making a swallowing motion. I didn't know whether I was more disturbed or horrified.

  I couldn't breathe, I felt my throat close up the nearer that eye-mouth got to me. I couldn't struggle, I couldn't fight.


  I knew I was done.